Quick Overview

Desktop, 1-slot Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe Card Expansion System for up to full-height, full-length+, double-width PCIe card. Features temperature-controlled fan, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices, a single USB 3 Gen 1 (5Gb) or Gen 2 (10Gb) peripheral device, or one 5K or two 4K displays.

Description

Details

Manufacturer Part Number: ECHO-EXP-SE1-T3

Connect a Full-Height, Half-Length+ PCIe Card to Computers Without Expansion SlotsAre you in the market for a new computer? Its amazing how much processing power the latest ultra-light notebooks, small form factor computers, and all-in-one desktop computers pack in such small and thin enclosures. But, thinness comes with a costtheres nowhere for you to install PCIe cards for the additional connectivity and processing capabilities beyond whats offered by a computers standard ports. Although thin Mac and Windows computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports offer processing power to spare, for many, such as pros in the creative fields, onboard processing power alone is not enough. Fortunately, your choices are not limited to desktop workstationsthink external. With the Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Edition, Sonnet has created a solution that enables you to connect a single PCIe card outside of your computer. This compact desktop Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe card expansion system supports one professional video capture, audio interface, 6Gb or 12Gb SAS or SATA host bus adapter, 8Gb or 16Gb Fibre Channel, 10Gb or 40Gb Ethernet, or RAID controller PCIe card, and connects it to your computer through a thin cable.

The Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Edition features 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3, which offers double the PCIe bandwidth and connectivity of Thunderbolt 2, and yields up to 2750 MB/s of bandwidth, enabling it to support 4K video capture and processing cards at high frame rates, and 16Gb FC cards and dual-port 10GbE cards at full performance(2)(3). With the ability to handle the most demanding, highest performance PCIe cards, support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(4), and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt(5) and USB(6) devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way.

Key Features

Connects a PCIe Expansion Card to Computers Without SlotsUse high-performance PCIe cards with any Mac or Windows PC with a Thunderbolt 3 port

Full Performance In a Small and Light DesignTakes up little space on the desktop, but large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card, at full performance

Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) PortsOne port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt(5) devices to your computer, attaching a single USB(6) peripheral device, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display(4)

One PCIe 3.0 Slot and Space for a Daughter CardThe Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Edition features an x8 PCIe slot, and supports one half-length+, full-height, single- or double-width PCIe card. Double-width? Some pro video and audio interface cards, such as Blackmagic Designs DeckLink 4K Extreme, and RMEs HDSPe MADI FX card, include a daughter card that mates with and provides additional external connections to the main card. The daughter card occupies the adjacent space without filling a PCIe slot.

Thunderbolt 3 The USB C That Does It AllThe Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Edition includes two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports; the first connects it to your computer, while the second supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices to a single port on your computer. The SE I includes 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, meaning you can connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter. The SE I also provides full support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(4). For connected devices requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to connected bus-powered devices(7).

All-Around Smart DesignAluminum and Auto Power IconsThe Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Editions lightweight, yet rugged aluminum outer shell securely protects the installed PCIe card. Inside, the card is protected through the use of a variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan, which ensures that the card and chassis components remain reliably cool. The Echo SE Is fan automatically speeds up as necessary to cool the installed card when its hot, and slows down when its cool. Since Echo Express products automatically power on and off with your computer, there is no power switch on the chassis, ensuring you dont waste energy by forgetting to turn it off.

Quiet, PleaseUltra Quite Fan IconThe Echo Express SE I was designed to be ultra-quiet so that it can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive environments. The airflow path within the chassis has been specially designed to enable the temperature-controlled, variable speed fan to quietly and efficiently cool the installed card at all times, even during peak operation.

Nearly Every Thunderbolt 3-Compatible PCIe Card SupportedDesigned to accommodate cards up to 7.75 inches long and measuring a compact 5.6 inches wide by 8.6 inches long by 3.5 inches tall, the Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Edition has a small footprint, yet it is large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt 3-compatible PCIe 3.0, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 1.1 card available.

Do you have a card in mind but arent sure its compatible? Weve worked closely with PCIe card manufacturers to provide a list of compatible cards on our supporting PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart. The chart provides a list of cards that have been tested to be recognized over a Thunderbolt connection and compatible with Thunderbolt technology requirements.

Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) Cable and ThunderLok 3 IncludedTo connect the Echo Express SE I - Thunderbolt 3 Edition to your computer, Sonnet includes a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, and a Sonnet ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip(8) to secure the cable to the Echo chassis. Accidental cable disconnection can lead to data loss. Sonnets ThunderLok 3 is easy to install and usejust slide it over one end of the cable, and then plug in the connector and secure it to the chassis by turning a thumbscrew. Because of its unique design, ThunderLok remains on the cable so it wont get lost when not in use.